Who’s the Best Second Banana in the NBA, and Why Does It Matter?

We rank all 30 NBA second bananas, because depth and teammates still win championships even in a star-driven league

THE NBA IS A SUPERSTAR LEAGUE, BUT SECOND BANANAS MATTER MORE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK. Even LeBron can’t win by himself, and there’s still no bigger star in American sports than James. It still matters who’s second and third best on the team, how the roster takes shape around that superstar. And now that the Golden State Warriors dynasty is no more, that matters more than ever. So who are the best and worst second bananas for the 2019–20 NBA season?

You can look back at the Worst Best Player and Second Banana rankings from 2018, 2017, and 2016. A lot can change in one season. Last year Karl-Anthony Towns was still a second banana, DeMar DeRozan was still masquerading as a star, Kent Bazemore and George Hill made the list, and Luka Doncic was somehow the 17th best Second Banana. Oops.

Focus on the tiers below, rather than the rankings within. We’re looking at the big picture NBA landscape. The rankings are meant to look at where things are at right now as the season begins, so veterans get the nod over young players when it’s close, and early-season breakouts haven’t quite changed everything yet, though I tried to note where some shakeups may be coming.

If you haven’t read it yet, you’ll want to start with this year’s ranking of the best…